Weapon Platform Research Articles

Design of motion control system for unmanned wheeled electric vehicle

Abstract The unmanned wheeled electric vehicle is a weapon platform that draws significant attention in current and future battlefields, and research on its motion control is fundamental. This paper introduces the design of a 6×6 unmanned wheeled electric vehicle and discusses the motion control methods applicable to this vehicle. The electric drive system of this vehicle comprises six independent asynchronous motors and corresponding motor controllers. A comprehensive controller designed based on DSP connects the six motor controllers. As it is an experimental platform, the motion control algorithms are deployed on an onboard computer, which connects to the comprehensive controller. Using the Backstepping method, the kinematic control algorithm for the 6×6 unmanned wheeled electric vehicle is designed. The global asymptotic stability of the control system is proven through the Lyapunov function, and its control performance is verified via simulation experiments. Finally, the system is deployed and tested on the actual vehicle. Experimental results show that the motion control system designed in this paper enables the unmanned wheeled electric vehicle to achieve effective motion control. The control laws derived from the Backstepping method are relatively simple and have low requirements for the sampling period. In practical systems, output speed magnitude and rate of change must be limited to stay within allowable system parameters.

Infantry Weapon Systems Used by Special Operations Forces to Carry Out Assigned Missions

Abstract Special Operations Forces (SOF) operate in dynamic, challenging environments, requiring accurate and versatile infantry weapon systems to effectively perform their assigned missions. This article provides a comprehensive review of the diverse range of infantry weapon systems used by SOF units in different theatres of operations. Through a synthesis of empirical data, operational perspectives and expert analysis, the study aims to elucidate the critical role of specialised weaponry in increasing the success rate of SOF missions. The analysis covers a broad spectrum of weapon platforms, each tailored to meet distinct mission requirements. In addition, the article explores the integration of advanced technologies into weapon construction, such as high-performance optical systems, silencers and other modular accessories, which enhance the lethality, accuracy and stealth capabilities of special forces units.

Cyber Preparedness of the Indian Armed Forces

The Indian armed forces today face a significant threat of cyberattacks, particularly from hostile neighbouring states like China and Pakistan. Cyberattacks could potentially damage or cripple critical weapons platforms, major communications and ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) systems, and vital infrastructure, undermining the military’s preparedness and war-fighting capabilities. How prepared is the Indian military to neutralise cyberattacks from adversaries such as China and Pakistan? This is the central question that this article attempts to address. The article contends that the delayed development of technical, policy, and organisational measures in the cyber domain indicates vulnerabilities in the Indian military’s current state of cyber preparedness, leaving room for enemy cyberattacks. It emphasises the need for immediate actions to address the critical gaps in India’s cybersecurity strategy. In particular, the Indian military must focus on drastically strengthening its defensive cyber capabilities to neutralise potential enemy cyberattacks on weapons platforms, communication and ISR systems, and critical infrastructure. The article concludes that without enhanced defensive cyber capabilities, India’s military modernisation may fall short of responding adequately to technology-driven warfare threats from the hostile states in the neighbourhood.

A Remotely Controlled Integrated Weapon Platform Developed on the Basis of Long-Term Experience and Competence

For two decades, AREX Sp. z o.o. (Gdynia, Poland), belonging to WB Group (Warsaw, Poland), has been dealing with special-purpose production, in particular mechatronics, and its solutions are used in electromechanical accessories for 155 mm KRAB gun-howitzers and 120 mm RAK self-propelled wheeled gun-mortars. The operations of WB Group on international markets has given a boost to its further development. The solutions of the remotely controlled weapon platform presented in this paper can be adapted to weapons with ammunition fed from the left or right side, owing to the self-diagnostics and verification system as well as the modular design. The intention of the designers was to create functional and intuitive equipment that allows the operator to focus on firing operations. The remotely controlled weapon platform is also equipped with covering capacity, such as smoke grenades, and is also electrically operated, can be operated manually in emergencies, is intended for installation on various combat vehicles and is remotely controlled by the operator remaining inside the vehicle compartment, which ensures full armoured protection against enemy direct fire. Remote control is based on two operating components a fire control unit and a control grip. Additionally the system is capable of remote weapon loading, weapon cocking, and firing. Tracking and remote controlling capabilities of the integrated weapon platform ensure high probability of hitting stationary and moving targets during the first round, and the platform can be operated manually as required.

Development status of anti UAV swarm and analysis of new defense system

UAV swarm is gradually becoming a comprehensive new weapon platform integrating electronic countermeasure, information attack and defense and firepower attack. It has become an important form of future combat, and also gave birth to the rapid development of anti UAV swarm system. Aiming at the problem that UAV is developing rapidly and becoming an important threat in the battlefield, the characteristics of typical UAV swarm system level targets are analyzed. The main means of counteracting UAV swarm, such as air defense missile, anti-aircraft gun / missile gun combination, high-energy laser and high-power microwave, are studied, and the counteraction performance is compared and analyzed. A new air anti UAV interception system based on UAV mounted micro recoil automatic gun is proposed, and the architecture, combat concept and process, key technologies and innovations involved are studied, which provides a technical reference for strengthening the ability of anti UAV system.

A review of stability control algorithms for weapon platforms

Weapon platforms are considered to be one of the important preconditions that ensure modern weapon systems achieve expected functions, while the critical factor affecting platform stability is control algorithms. Firstly, this paper introduces the importance of weapon platforms and their control algorithms, and classifies conventional weapon platforms. Secondly, after analyzing the application of conventional and modern control algorithms in different weapon platforms, this paper presents the new development trends of weapon platform control algorithms, with the goal of providing some ideas for the development of weapon systems and weapon platforms in China.

Germany’s Never-Ending Guilt Trip

Nazi Germany and the Jewish Agency for Palestine, the future government of Israel and the official representative of the Zionist Organization (ZO), entered a contractual transactional relationship from 1933 to 1939. In 1952 the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the State of Israel, on behalf of all Jews, signed an agreement that paved the way for Germany’s unconditional support for Israel. No suggestion is being made here that Nazi Germany and the FRG are the same; the FRG assumed responsibilities for the crimes of the Holocaust. However, both contractual transactional relationships between both countries from 1933 to the present have initiated policies and programs that contributed significantly to the deterioration of German Jewish living conditions in Germany, the transfer of thousands of German Jewish citizens and their assets out of Germany to colonize Palestine, the establishment of Israel in historic Palestine, the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people, the allocation of a significant portion of German reparation money for the benefit of Israel instead of the victims of the Holocaust, the strengthening of the Israeli economy and industrial base, and providing Israel with German military technology and equipment to wage wars in the region. In this article, I will examine and analyze the special, often secret, relationship between Germany and the Zionist mechanization to colonize Palestine, the establishment of Israel in 1948, and the arming of the state with modern weapon platforms that can carry and deliver nuclear weapons. This secret relationship is in clear violation of German law, made possible by creating a universal guilt feeling among Germans for the crime of the Holocaust, and associated with a deliberate lack of public debate and accountability.

Application of prognostic and health management in avionics system

Currently, most aircraft avionics systems are maintained based on reported failures or periodic system replacement. However, the evolution of prognostic and health management (PHM) concepts from mechanical to electronic systems and further to avionics system maintenance has been driven by changes in weapon platform procurement and support requirements. At the same time, with the increasing complexity of avionics design, integrated modular avionics (IMA) came into being. The appearance of IMA design concept marks the gradual transition of avionics system from distributed joint architecture to integrated architecture, which also provides the foundation for PHM technology to be applied to avionics system. This paper reviews the application and research status of predictive and health management system technology in avionics system.

Study on the penetration of elliptical cross-section projectiles into concrete targets: theory and experiment

To better understand the penetration mechanism of the elliptical cross-section projectile (ECSP) into semi-infinite concrete target, penetration experiments using three types of ECSPs with different shape ratios (1, 1.25 and 1.61) and with striking velocities ranged from 550 m/s to 1050 m/s were conducted. Penetration depths, penetration trajectory and mass erosion rates of the projectile were obtained after the experiments. The experiment results show that the penetration performance and ballistic stability of the ECSP are equivalent to those of the circular cross-section projectile (CCSP). Based on the theory of complex variable function and conformal transformation, a semi-analytical model which can calculate the cavity boundary stress distribution of elliptical section cavity controlled by the displacement boundary condition was established and the model was validated by comparing the model degenerate solution with Kirsch problem results. Theoretical calculation results show that the radial stress of elliptical section cavity increases progressively from the minor axis to the major axis. In addition, a formula combining with the semi-analytical theoretical model and the local interaction theory was developed. The predicted penetration depths were compared with 30 groups of experiment data with different projectile parameters and striking velocities and coincide quite well with the corresponding experimental data. Finally, the influence of shape ratio and caliber-radius-head (CRH) on the penetration performance of projectile and the application prospect of ECSPs on hypersonic weapon platform were studied.

Research on Electronic Image Stabilization Technology of Vehicle-Mounted Remote-Controlled Weapon Station

The image information of the vehicle-mounted remote-controlled weapon station is jittered and blurred when the stance changes or vibrates, which increases the aiming difficulty and observation fatigue of the shooter, in order to realize the stable marching fire of the vehicle-mounted remote-controlled weapon station, the two-stage stable scheme with the shared gyro sensor is adopted in the system design, namely, the aiming device is rigidly fixed on the initially stable weapon platform, and then the electronic image stabilization is carried out. This paper proposes an approach combining two image stabilization schemes: gyro sensor data and image projection registration, optimizes the selection of image compensation data by registering and comparing the results of the two stable data, and uses the special features of the two schemes to improve the robust stability of electronic image stabilization, which ensure the observation effect of video image stabilization of the vehicle-mounted remote-controlled weapon station.

Russia’s scalable soft power: leveraging defense diplomacy through the transfer of S-400 triumph

ABSTRACT Military hardware and technology transfer is increasingly becoming a crucial factor in international relations. This is especially so when the military hardware transfer involves sophisticated weapon's platforms that need specialised training and maintenance, resulting in a long-term relationship that strengthens the geopolitical relationship between the contracting parties. Driven by the re-emergence of great power rivalry, the S-400 Triumph air defence missile system deployment appears to be fast becoming a core component of Russia's military diplomacy. The agreed S-400 export contracts include Turkey, China and India with a long list of interested Middle Eastern countries. The transfer of S-400 well encompasses all the dimensions of the Russian defense diplomacy and could be considered as a primary example of scalable soft power, as it underlines the evolving pattern of high-technology arms transfers that is going to be constant in an increasingly complex multilateral world.

Construction and Application Technology Architecture of Domain-specific Knowledge Graphin Military Field

Domain-specific Knowledge Graph in Military Field is a bridge to connect all kinds of battle factors, such as combat forces, command system, weapon platforms. It’s also an important means to break through the information gap between different areas of different services. Most of the existing knowledge graph is general knowledge graph for general fields, but there is no mature method of knowledge graph construction and expression for the industry data of military specific fields. So based on the special needs for military knowledge acquisition, storage, representation, query and other technologies in the future information and intelligent operations, and application scenarios, this paper discusses the current opportunities and challenges of the knowledge graph in military domain. Then the construction of knowledge graph in military domain and application technology framework are proposed.

Dual-use conundrum: Towards the weaponization of outer space?

The accumulating tensions between major space powers increase the likelihood of space conflict. Though outer space is widely militarized, presumably it has not been weaponized. However, the dual-use nature of space technology raises serious concerns about its utilization. The article reviews and compares chosen space systems and technology with the residual offensive capability that could be misused for malicious purposes and could be utilized as space weapons. Demonstrated space-related technology, namely space launch vehicles, small satellites, satellites as weapon platforms, information technology and active debris removal systems, have broad dual-use consequences that can eventually lead to the weaponization of outer space. Nevertheless, space conflict would most likely result in undesired proliferation of space debris with irreversible impact on space environment. The states should promote responsible behaviour concerning emerging space technology and should seek further consideration of space norms that would sustain peaceful uses of outer space.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Modern Battlefield

The rapid development of modern technology has made a significant impact on the various aspects of human lives. One important piece of technology that has recently come to the foray is Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence has already made an impact in the commercial and civilian fields. However, the technology’s characteristics make it suitable for military application as well. This study is an attempt to understand the evolution of Artificial Intelligence and its applications in the civilian domain. At the same time, the study will also attempt to actively look into the military application of the technology as well. The study concludes that through the integration of Artificial Intelligence with the military affairs there will be a more synergistic and coordinated approach to the battles of the future. Also, the study has also concluded that Artificial Intelligence can lead towards the automation of various weapons platforms.

Ergonomics analysis of gunner station of armoured combat vehicle (ACV)- Tank T 90S with special reference to seat, visual sighting system and musculoskeletal discomfort: A pilot study

Background: A combat vehicle is a tracked/wheeled land or amphibious vehicle, with or without armour or armament, designed for specific functions in combat or battle. It is an integrated mobile weapon platform comprising of multiple workstations having many equipment, switches, control and displays.Effectiveness of Combat vehicle and efficiency of crewin battle field depends upon the optimum design and placement of control and displays and workstation. Till date ergonomics studies on combat vehicle are limited and less reported.
 Aims and Objective: Present study was undertaken to investigate the gunner station of the combat vehicle (Tank T90 S) with special reference to seat and sighting system with respect to anthropometric dimensions of the crew members, to find out constraints, design limitations and mismatch in the existing vehicles; and the biomechanical responses (force and angles), comfort and discomfort during the vehicle operation.
 Materials and Methods: Ninety (90) healthy male gunner with mean age 35.2±8.5 years, stature 172.6±7.5 cm and weight 72.4±7.2 kg volunteered for the study. Anthropometric details of gunner crew, gunner seat dimension, sighting system, biomechanical response during operation, comfort and discomfort analysis were studied.
 Results: Gunner station sighting control handle is located below the recommended optimum vortex angle of ±15° from normal line of sight in vertical and horizontal plane. Hand grip strength decreased with increasing operation time. Reduction in grip strength of the gunner may tend to produce lag and delay of movement of barrel and swiftness of gunner may get compromised. Seat was not designed as per anthropometric dimensions of crew members.
 Conclusion: Present study clearly stated that non-accessibility and difficulty in operating the handle of Gun Control Equipment during operation. Sighting system and seat of existing tank is poorly ergonomically designed. Hand grip strength gradually decrease with increasing operation time.

A Multivocal Literature Review on Growing Social Engineering Based Cyber-Attacks/Threats During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Prospective Solutions.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a considerable and long-lasting social and economic impact on the world. Along with other potential challenges across different domains, it has brought numerous cybersecurity challenges that must be tackled timely to protect victims and critical infrastructure. Social engineering–based cyber-attacks/threats are one of the major methods for creating turmoil, especially by targeting critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and healthcare services. Social engineering–based cyber-attacks are based on the use of psychological and systematic techniques to manipulate the target. The objective of this research study is to explore the state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice social engineering–based techniques, attack methods, and platforms used for conducting such cybersecurity attacks and threats. We undertake a systematically directed Multivocal Literature Review (MLR) related to the recent upsurge in social engineering–based cyber-attacks/threats since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 52 primary studies were selected from both formal and grey literature based on the established quality assessment criteria. As an outcome of this research study; we discovered that the major social engineering–based techniques used during the COVID-19 pandemic are phishing, scamming, spamming, smishing, and vishing, in combination with the most used socio-technical method: fake emails, websites, and mobile apps used as weapon platforms for conducting successful cyber-attacks. Three types of malicious software were frequently used for system and resource exploitation are; ransomware, trojans, and bots. We also emphasized the economic impact of cyber-attacks performed on different organizations and critical infrastructure in which hospitals and healthcare were on the top targeted infrastructures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, we identified the open challenges, general recommendations, and prospective solutions for future work from the researcher and practitioner communities by using the latest technology, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and big data analytics.

BORESIGHTING OF UNMANNED WEAPON PLATFORMS

An analysis of modern devices boresighting the optical-electronic sights and taking into consideration peculiarities of their installation on unmanned weapon platforms is given in the paper. A universal barrel collimator is described, which ensures a boresighting for television and thermal sights for different kinds of unmanned weapon platforms.

Vibration control of a military vehicle weapon platform under the influence of integrated ride and cornering dynamics

The present study is focussed upon vibration control of the weapon elevation and azimuth dynamics mathematical model under influence of the 20 degree of freedom integrated ride and cornering dynamics non-linear mathematical model of a military vehicle with trailing arm suspension. The PID, LQR and Backstepping control techniques are applied in the weapon dynamics model in order to achieve the desired level of gun stabilisation over different manoeuvring situations. The control methods are initially implemented in the weapon elevation dynamics mathematical model which is subjected to vehicle ride response inputs only. In the later section, the control methods are incorporated in the azimuth dynamics mathematical model which is subjected to the integrated ride and cornering dynamic response inputs from different manoeuvres. The control forces are incorporated in the governing equations of motion for the weapon elevation and azimuth dynamics. The equations of motion for the weapon elevation and azimuth dynamics with incorporated control parameters, are transformed into state space matrix domain and solved by using Matlab. The elevation and azimuth dynamic responses are observed over the random terrain and with variable track velocities, respectively and compared with the corresponding passive models. It is observed that adequate attenuation of the vehicle dynamic inputs could be attained with the control techniques which led to desired weapon stabilisation in both elevation and azimuth directions. Compared to other controllers, backstepping control strategy is observed to provide the maximum attenuation in weapon responses by directly considering the Lyapunov stability criterion in its formulation. Therefore, the basic focus is to evaluate the gun muzzle response reduction by implementing different control techniques under the influence of a non-linear vehicle dynamic platform. These studies would provide the motivation and foundation behind design and development of gun control system for the military vehicles with All Electric Drive.

Mean wind model for direct fire ballistics

The depiction of wind used in modern system accuracy studies directly influences the design of precision-oriented weapon platforms. Therefore, the primary objective of the effort presented within was to develop a literature-supported definition of the battlefield wind environment relevant to direct fire combat engagements. This goal was accomplished by incorporating modern micrometeorological theory into the ballistic domain in order to define the mean wind along the flight path of a projectile. This information was then further leveraged to develop a description of the generic battlefield mean wind environment. The final portion of the effort compared the new and legacy wind models within a sample engagement scenario in order to quantify the differences between the two portrayals of atmospheric motion within the quasi-combat domain. The results of the work conducted indicate that the traditional view of wind tends to overestimate its contribution to the outcome of an engagement. While this single study does not completely invalidate the legacy approach to wind modeling in direct fire ballistics, it does warrant further investigation into the topic, as a more rigorous representation of atmospheric motion would ultimately lead to the production of more accurate weapon systems.

Detection and recognition method of monocular vision traffic safety information for intelligent vehicles

Intelligent vehicle technology has become a research hot issue in recent ten years, the reason is that intelligent vehicles can not only be used as a flexible weapon platform in the military. And in life, it is also a system that provides convenience and security for people. For example, driverless cars and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Information processing is the key to the degree of intelligence, and the detection and recognition of traffic safety information based on monocular vision is the core of information processing, it’s also the bottleneck problem. Because of the complexity and diversity of the environment have brought great challenges to this problem. In this paper, the existing lane detection methods in structured and semi-structured roads do not specifically consider the problem of weak line detection, two models are proposed. Fuzzy LDA enhancement model is used to enhance the contrast of lane area, another brightness contrast saliency model can be used for robust Lane extraction. Then, two models are applied to lane detection, a two-stage lane detection method is proposed and a blind area vehicle detection method is designed. Firstly, the vehicle area is roughly extracted based on road gray statistics, and then the typical vehicle features are screened finely. Finally, the extracted features and SVM classifiers are used to confirm the candidate regions. Experiments show that: The proposed method can detect the vehicle in the blind area very well and is insensitive to the shape distortion and size change of the vehicle.